Clarke Watson owns Advanced Septic Solutions in Scottsdale, Arizona. Licensed for work in both residential and commercial systems, Advanced Septic Solutions is a full-service septic system contractor. In this article, Watson tells us how frequently homeowners should get their septic tanks pumped.
In the majority of cases, there is a generally accepted chart that lists how often homeowners should get their septic tanks pumped based on the size of the home and the number of people living in it. And in most cases, the average recommended frequency that the tanks need to be pumped is 3 to 5 years.
Although the size of the home is a variable on the chart, the overall square footage does not greatly impact how frequently a septic tank needs to be pumped. The reason for that is because usually the larger the home is, the larger the septic tank that was put in when the home was first built.
One thing that can impact how frequently a septic tank needs to be pumped, though, is how many people are living in a home at once. In other words, in these tough economic times, it is becoming more common to see sometimes up to six people living in a two-bedroom house. So, in those cases, the homeowners may need to pump the septic tank more frequently—possibly once every year or two—because the tank was not initially built to support that many people.
On the other hand, if you have one person living in a giant house alone, then in that case you might need to only pump that tank once every 10 years. That just goes to show how much the number of people living in a home can influence how often you need to get your tank pumped.
The chart that we use for these guidelines is available in most county offices and in books found in libraries across the country, so homeowners can access it easily. Or, people can go online and find it easily as well. I also have a copy of it available on my website, so people can find it there.
The charts that we use really are accessible in all kinds of places these days. And, like I said, the chart basically just looks at a combination of the number of people living in a home and the septic tank size, and then gives you a recommended time frame of when to get it pumped.
In addition to how many people live in a home, another big factor that can influence how frequently you need to get your septic tank pumped is climate. And, groundwater is actually the No. 1 factor that has the greatest effect when it comes to weather and climate.
There is actually a septic system called a Wisconsin Mound that was created because the groundwater is so close to the surface in certain parts of the country. So rather than using a regular system, people in these areas will have to build up waste in order to dispose of it.
Then, of course, you have other places in the country like Arizona where things are different. Here in Arizona, the ground water is deep. So in places like this where the groundwater is 500 to 1,000 feet down, you have different choices and abilities when it comes to disposing your waste.
Although climate and weather in certain parts of the country do impact the type of septic system you have and how frequently it needs to get pumped, the groundwater has more of an impact than snow or rain or humidity or heat.
Because of that, it is important that septic system contractors look at all factors when determining how frequently a homeowner should get his tank pumped. And, of course, homeowners need to check out that chart and educate themselves on the topic, as well.
